Get involved!
Summer Edition 2016
SCAA NEWS
At SCAA we value our volunteers who are a vital part of the team that keeps our helicopter flying.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful band of volunteers who help the charity in all sorts of ways, from placing and managing collecting cans to presenting to groups and organisations and spreading the word about our life-saving work. We need volunteers from all over Scotland. Can you help? We offer training and great support to all our volunteers. Please get in touch if you think you're the person we need.
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We really can’t sustain our service without our volunteers!
Keep in touch Facebook Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Twitter @ScotAirAmb
Online scaa.org.uk
YouTube youtube.com/ScotAirAmb
Phone 0300 123 1111
Email enquiries@scaa.org.uk
Post
by direct debit and debit credit card
by direct debit and debit credit card
Photograph courtesy of The Courier
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, The Control Tower, Perth Airport, Scone, Perthshire, PH2 6PL Please make cheques payable to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
RESCUE STORIES
EMERGENCY…999
FUNDRAISING
VOLUNTEER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Charity Number SC041845
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Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter. I was delighted and privileged to take up the post of Chief Executive at Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance in September 2015. A lot has happened since. In October 2015 we welcomed the arrival of our new helicopter – the EC 135 T2i. This replaced our trusted Bolkow and was only made possible after being awarded a donation from the LIBOR fund. The EC 135 provides an enhanced life-saving HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) for the people of Scotland. It allows SCAA to fly faster, fly further, reach more patients and provide more comprehensive care on board. In the first quarter of 2016, in comparison to the previous year, the number of emergency call outs increased by 28% and the number of flying hours increased by 80%. We were also able to upgrade our Rapid Response Vehicle and installed new medical equipment on both assets to ensure our paramedics continue to provide the highest quality of emergency care to the people of Scotland. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of individuals, communities, businesses, groups and organisations, not to mention our network of volunteers who give so freely of their time to promote the work of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. SCAA does not receive any government or lottery funding
scaa.org.uk
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CHERYL’S RESCUE therefore we need your continued support to help raise the £2.2million we require annually to maintain this vital service. Our helicopter covers the length and breadth of Scotland from our base at Perth Airport, responding to all types of incidents including road traffic collisions, motorcycle accidents, equestrian injuries, agricultural, industrial and sporting injuries as well as strokes and cardiac conditions. SCAA reached a milestone in March 2016 when it responded to its 1000th call out. This is a remarkable achievement in our short history but it does highlight that on average we respond to at least one emergency every day – with your donations SCAA will continue to be there whenever and wherever we are needed. This newsletter will keep you up to date with how your support and donations really are saving lives. If there is anything in particular you would like to see included in future editions then please do get in touch. My sincere thanks for all your valued support – we simply couldn’t do it without you! David Craig CEO
Cheryl and her cycling buddy had already decided they would leave the arduous track at the next exit. As she headed for the final steep water-logged downhill stretch, however, Cheryl was catapulted over the handlebars and everything went dark.
SCAA airlifted Cheryl to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she was found to have suffered cracked ribs, severe tendon damage to her shoulder, concussion and facial lacerations. An MRI confirmed no serious injury.
“The next thing I remember is people saying ‘the helicopter’s on its way – it will be here soon’. I was lying face down spreadeagled across the muddy ground – I couldn’t move and kept drifting in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of people tending me.”
“I was so lucky,” she said. “The track was steep and the conditions were terrible – it could have been so much worse.
As Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance made its way to the remote hillside where the annual Natural Tweed 40 km Cross Country Cycle was being staged, fellow cyclists and first aiders worked to keep Cheryl warm and reassured. “I remember being covered with a silver blanket and then hearing the whirring of the helicopter as it landed nearby. Everything was a bit blurry but I remember the SCAA paramedics – how kind they were – and I felt suddenly safer and reassured before it went blank again.”
“The frightening thing is I was miles from anywhere when it happened – there was no road access for emergency vehicles. I don’t know what would have happened if SCAA hadn’t been there. My injuries weren’t life threatening but they could have been if they hadn’t airlifted me off the hill and taken me straight to hospital.” Cheryl was so grateful to her rescuers that she signed up as a volunteer for SCAA when she recovered. “This service is vital – I would never have dreamed of needing an air ambulance but I am so grateful it was there. I want to do all I can to ensure it will be there for others.”
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Summer 2016
13/06/2016 16:08
Milestone 1,000th emergency callout for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance A leisurely Easter weekend walk on the slopes of Schiehallion in Highland Perthshire turned into a full scale emergency, prompting the landmark 1,000th rapid response from Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). The country’s only charity-funded helicopter air ambulance was scrambled from its base at Perth Airport when emergency services received a call to say a hillwalker was experiencing severe chest pains. The walk in the hills for Allan and his wife soon became a race against time when the 57-year-old taxi driver doubled up in agony. Recovering at his home in Troon, Allan said he was in no doubt that he owed the helicopter heroes his life. Lawyer Gavin from Musselburgh was the first member of the public on the scene as the mountainside drama unfolded.
We would love to hear how you are getting on, so please do get in touch.
Another spasm left Allan fearing for his life as the charity’s distinctive helicopter made its way to the slopes, landing in the level footprint of an old croft ruin about 300 metres downhill of the patient. “I felt real fear and panic,” said Allan. “I knew we were miles from anywhere and I was getting worse – the pain was intense across my chest and jaw. I was drifting in and out of consciousness but when I heard the helicopter and saw it land further down the hill I remember a great wave of relief and when the paramedics were at my side I started to feel new hope.” Other hillwalkers quickly volunteered their services and six helped the two SCAA paramedics carry the stretcher down the steep rough ground back to the helicopter. SCAA then flew Allan to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee – a 20 minute flight that would have taken well over an hour and a half by road.
“I heard a woman shouting for help further up the slope and found her husband doubled over on the ground looking very unwell. He was having difficulty breathing and was complaining of severe pains in his chest and I realised it was pretty serious,” he recalled.
“The helicopter air ambulance proved vital on the day,” said Gavin. “The car park was some distance away and the land ambulance crew faced quite a climb. They would also have had a long journey back over rough ground with the patient to reach the ambulance even before they started the long drive to hospital.”
“I immediately dialled 999. They kept me talking and said help was on its way.”
SCAA aircrew paramedics John Salmond and Julia Barnes praised the help of the public.
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Have you been airlifted by Helimed 76 like Allan? Or perhaps you have a close friend or family member who has been touched by the service we provide?
“Their series of actions helped bring air support quickly and effectively to the scene,” said Julia, “and their kindness and support on the ground meant we were able to turn around this emergency situation really quickly.
“SCAA is worth its weight in gold to the people of Scotland,” said Allan. “I was able to see my grandchildren enjoy their Easter eggs thanks to this amazing team – it could so easily have been a totally different outcome without them.
“We are always very appreciative of how human kindness comes to the fore in situations like this and people do all they can to help us help the patient – from dialling 999 and tending the casualty, to guiding the helicopter in and helping carry the stretcher over difficult ground,” added John. “Throughout our 1,000 call outs – the public have always been there for us.”
“They are heroes. I owe them my life and I promise I will make it to the top of Schiehallion one day – sponsored by all my friends and family – to raise money for SCAA in order that they can keep helping people like me every day in Scotland.
And the patient carried on their 1,000th emergency call out has vowed he will be there for the charity in the future.
"I not only owe my life to the speed and professionalism of SCAA but also to the people of Scotland who fund this wonderful service. Without their support and donations the charity air ambulance would not have been there for me when I most needed it. Thank you."
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SAVING TIME … SAVING LIVES
SCAA’s next life-saving mission is only a phone call away.
SCAA on scene Once landed, the paramedics grab their kit and head out – checking site safety – while the pilot shuts down the aircraft, carries out checks, turns the front paramedic seat through 180 degrees, attends to paperwork, prepares the on-board stretcher, carries any other kit required to the paramedics and surveys the surroundings for any possible take-off issues.
Emergency…999 You’re at the scene of a serious accident – you dial 999 and ask for the ambulance service – you relay the fact that the injuries look serious, the location is remote and the weather is wet and cold. As you are being asked a set series of questions, an emergency resource has already been dispatched – your call is being logged and categorised and appropriate resource responses determined – depending on the information (seriousness, location, distance from hospital, availability of other resources etc), an air ambulance may be deployed.
Remote location...we need SCAA When the dispatch centre at either Glasgow, Edinburgh or Inverness (or the air desk at Cardonald) calls for Helimed 76, a distinctive emergency phone rings in the operations room at SCAA’s Perth Airport base.
Treating the patient The two paramedics deploy as a team to the patient and work with any crew already there – assessing, stabilising, treating and packaging ready for lift off. They try to complete all necessary procedures on the ground so that they can concentrate on monitoring the patient once in flight.
Rapid transfer When the patient is aboard the aircraft the focus is on getting them to hospital safely and quickly. Calls are made to the receiving A & E department and ambulance control for any required transportation from landing site to building.
What our crew need to know SCAA paramedics take essential details (grid reference, injury summary, other resources on scene etc) over the phone and prepare for a quick response. The call is on speaker phone so the two paramedics and one pilot can all act on the information. A course is plotted, fuel required worked out and weather on route looked at – departure checklist is completed, equipment is gathered up and it’s out to the aircraft.
Touchdown at hospital The paramedics complete the handover of patient at the hospital, passing on all relevant information about the person, injuries, condition, treatment given etc. before collecting and cleaning equipment, while the pilot readies the aircraft for the journey home – or onwards to another emergency.
SCAA is scrambled Airborne within minutes, SCAA crew contact the “talk group” to discuss ETA at scene and get a situation report from any emergency response crew already there. Role specific equipment is prepared and discussions are held about which hospital the patient may be airlifted to. Once overhead the incident, SCAA orbits to see where the casualty is and identify a safe landing site at an appropriate distance from the scene (working to the 5 Ss – size, shape, surroundings, slope, surface and stock) and accessibility from there to the casualty.
scaa.org.uk
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Back at base at the close of a busy day.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Summer 2016
13/06/2016 16:08
People in Scotland are amazing! You have helped raise the funds needed to keep us flying into the heart of communities throughout the country. We and the many, many people SCAA has saved THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. Your ongoing support ensures we are able to respond to time-critical emergencies 365-days a year. Here are some fundraising highlights.
AVIS’s Rescue It was a job she had done dozens of times. But as Avis reached out to clean the upstairs window sill, the ladder she was standing on slipped and she crashed head first on to the tarmac below. “My husband told me to wait until he could come and hold the ladder – as he normally does – but I stupidly climbed up to get on with the job before he was ready,” explains the Dunked pensioner. “I remember falling and then very little as I drifted in and out of consciousness.” Avis’s fall resulted in serious head injuries and as a local GP and ambulance crew tended her, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance raced to the scene. Avis had sustained significant contusional injuries and bleeding into the brain, prompting a three week stay in Ninewells Hospital – initially in ICU. “The neurosurgeon told me that the speed of getting me to hospital helped save my life – SCAA really did make the difference between life and potential death.” After a remarkable recovery, Avis made the trip to Perth Airport to visit the charity aircrew and thank them for all they’d done. “It was very emotional meeting the paramedics and pilot,” she recalls. “I know that without them I probably wouldn’t be here – I don’t have words to describe how that feels.”
scaa.org.uk
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Your support keeps us flying.
Something for everyone in showcase Festival of Youth Avis has gone on to hold several fundraising events for SCAA with the handbell ringers group she is part of and through her local flower festival. “People I know are now very aware of SCAA because of what happened to me and we all realise how lucky we are to have such a fantastic service in Scotland. “Simple accidents like mine could happen to anyone at any time,” she adds. “SCAA landed near my house within seven minutes of being called – that’s really brought it home to a lot of people that the speed of an air ambulance is a true lifesaver for our rural communities.
SCAA is a marvellous addition to our emergency services resources and I would urge everyone in Scotland to donate what they can to keep it flying for the next person in need.
Over 250 talented local youngsters helped to raise funds for SCAA when they took to the stage at Perth Concert Hall in February for the spectacular Perth and Kinross “Festival Of Youth”. Organised by the Order of St John Perth and Kinross, the charity showcase event featured show-stopping performances from Perth and Kinross Junior Brass Band, the Julie Young Dance Studios and Centre for Performing Arts, Perth and Kinross Wind Orchestra and musical groups and soloists from Strathallan, Kilgraston and Craigclowan schools and Glenalmond College. The event was hosted by journalist Maureen Young and the “Voice of the Tattoo” Alasdair Hutton and raised a fantastic £40,000 for SCAA
Inveralmond Brewery’s Flying High with Charity Brew Inveralmond Brewery, one of Scotland’s leading independent craft-beer breweries, raised a high flying toast to a brew that is set to put some fizz into the fundraising efforts of SCAA.
Launching the beer from the comfort of their custom made bar at the Brewery, Managing Director Fergus Clark was joined by charity representatives to formally “wet the head” of the new partnership. And with 5p from every pint sold in participating pubs, there’s a lot to celebrate!
Check out our new tartan SCAA marked St Andrew’s Day by unveiling the country’s newest corporate tartan. The new tartan was designed to honour the life-saving crew of Scotland’s only charityfunded helicopter air ambulance and the people behind the running of the service. Designed by leading expert Brian Wilton MBE and donated by the Scottish Tartans Authority, the colourful tartan tells the story of the charity through its weave. The House of Edgar has a long and proud association with many of the world’s leading and most recognisable tartans and tweeds. They kindly wove and donated 200 limited edition scarves to sell and raise funds. SCAA Chief Executive David Craig said “We feel so proud to have our very own officially registered Scottish tartan, so much so that we have ensured it features prominently on our helicopter’s livery.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Summer 2016
13/06/2016 16:08
Challenge yourself…raise money….save lives!! NEW
Events for 2016!!
Highland Perthshire Marathon and Half Marathon, Aberfeldy – Saturday 3rd September 2016 This challenge will get your heart pumping as you run through the beautiful countryside. The event, now in its fourth year, begins in Aberfeldy with the route taking you through some fantastic scenery in the heart of glorious Highland Perthshire.
Organise your own event You can always organise your own event and SCAA staff are on hand to help in any way we can. From running a marathon to having your head shaved, our intrepid fundraisers have raised money by doing all sorts of activities. Get in touch to chat about your ideas.
SCAA lottery Our life-saving lottery is an easy way for you to support SCAA. For just £1 per week you can be in with a chance of winning our weekly jackpot of £1,000! All you have to do is visit our lottery page at www.scaa.org.uk/lottery and you can sign up there and then. Alternatively, we can post a form to you. All you have to do is give us a call.
Muddy Trials, Craufurdland, Ayrshire – Muddy Mile, 5K &10K races – Sunday 25th September 2016
The Lanrick Challenge, Doune – Saturday 6th August 2016 Set deep in Braveheart country, Scotland’s very own obstacle experience, The Lanrick Challenge, is designed to be the ultimate test of physical strength, stamina and mental determination, with lots of fun along the way. It is held in the grounds of Lanrick Estate, Doune, which is conveniently located 8 miles from Stirling and just 45 minutes from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Offering an exciting yet punishing series of 48 obstacles including mud ponds, log piles, cargo nets, river crossings, tree climbs, monkey bars and a 30 metre water slide, the exhilarating 6k or 12k Wilderness Challenges are designed to push you to your limits!
scaa.org.uk
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Coast to Coast Cycle – Thursday 11th Saturday 13th August 2016 Two coastlines, one objective! From Whitehaven to Tynemouth, our charity challenge encompasses some of the best scenery Britain has to offer! From the stunning mountains of the Lake District to the beautiful open moors of the Northern Pennines – our UK Coast to Coast cycle will leave you wanting more!
Starting from the imposing Castle, the races cross fields, ford streams, meander through woodlands and plunge waist deep through dark gooey ditches. Probably one of the most challenging mud runs in the UK, the course uses all natural terrain.
Register now to secure your place! All contact details on back cover. Monthly donation By signing up to a monthly committed gift by direct debit, you are helping us by allowing us to plan longer term. Your commitment means that we know we can fund essentials such as fuel, equipment and much, much more. If you are a UK tax payer, we can also claim gift aid on your donation with no cost at all to you, but increasing the value of your gift by 25%!
Donate
You can also donate by credit, debit card or a cheque. We are extremely grateful for all donations, no matter how big or small – thank you. Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Summer 2016
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